Napoleon (15)

Sweeping historical biopic charting the rise of well respected military leader Napoleon Bonaparte following rebellion in the French capital. Napoleon operates initially as the blunt-force instrument of ambitious politician Paul Barras. He wins the respect of his men by charging into battle against France's sworn enemies including the Siege of Toulon. Despite his tactical nous, Napoleon is unprepared for the greatest battle of all: to win the heart of fair Josephine.

LondonNet Film Review

Napoleon (15) Film Review from LondonNet

In 2001, director Ridley Scott laid siege to the Academy Awards with his bombastic sword and sandals epic Gladiator, winning five golden statuettes from 12 nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor for Russell Crowe and Best Visual Effects. A nuanced supporting performance from Joaquin Phoenix as a murderous Roman emperor hungry for power at any cost propelled the Puerto Rico-born actor into the ascendancy. Filmmaker and quixotic star reunite for a sweeping biopic written by David Scarpa, which charts the rise of Corsican-born military leader Napoleon Bonaparte following rebellion in the French capital and the inglorious end of Marie-Antoinette (Catherine Walker) to the plummeting blade of a guillotine…

Rigorous historical accuracy is trampled beneath hooves in breath-taking battle sequences, underpinned by Arthur Max’s arresting production design and copious costumes imagined by Janty Yates. Polish cinematographer Dariusz Wolski, who first partnered with Scott on the 2012 sci-fi prequel Prometheus, captures the guts and glory of pulse-quickening skirmishes with trademark virtuosity, allowing us to get up close to weary legions locked in gruelling hand-to-hand combat. Few living directors could attempt practical filmmaking on this dizzying scale with multiple cameras and hundreds of extras, shunning digital effects wherever possible to mastermind large-scale carnage in windswept locations.

Scott is masterful under this intense pressure and he makes light work of a running time that exceeds two and a half hours but feels considerably shorter in a darkened cinema. Phoenix’s mesmerising embodiment of a brutish trailblazer is matched by Vanessa Kirby’s hypnotic portrayal of Josephine. “You are nothing without me,” she hisses at Napoleon. The self-confidence is well-placed – affirming the intoxicating power behind the French throne is a fallen noblewoman, who realises her reign as consort is always at the mercy of fickle public opinion.

Napoleon (Phoenix) operates initially as the blunt-force instrument of ambitious politician Paul Barras (Tahar Rahim). He wins the respect of his men by charging into battle against France’s sworn enemies including the Siege of Toulon, where he astutely turns hilltop cannons on the British fleet. Despite his tactical nous, Napoleon is unprepared for the greatest battle of all: to win the heart of fair Josephine (Kirby). With her at his side, Napoleon defies protocol to place the crown of France atop his own head and he bullishly clashes blades with the Duke of Wellington (Rupert Everett) at Waterloo.

Napoleon lavishly charts the tyrant’s rise and fall until his final exile on Saint Helena with an emphasis on full-blooded, thrilling spectacle, flecked with surprising yet welcome humour. Phoenix and Kirby are terrific as ambitious co-dependents, doomed by her inability to provide Napoleon (and by extension France) with a male heir. The flame of the central relationship burns bright through various bruising military campaigns until a master tactician is undone by hubris.

– Jo Planter